After multiple cases of violence came to light in West Bengal, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee hit back at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday and blamed them for the violence in Howrah during Ram Navami processions. She claimed that the BJP along with other Right Wing organisations is responsible for all the rioting.
What did Mamata Banerjee say?
"Howrah's incident is very unfortunate. Neither Hindus nor Muslims were behind the violence in Howrah. The BJP along with Bajrang Dal and other such organisations were involved in the violence with arms," Banerjee told Bengali television news channel ABP Ananda.
The state government will help all those whose properties were vandalised in the clashes, she said.
"Thirty-one people have been arrested in connection with Thursday's violence in Howarh," the CM said. Claiming that there was "laxity in a section of the administration", she said strict action would be taken against those involved in the clash.
“Ai somoi ta tara kunu anyay kore na karon ata holo Allah er kache oder sacrifice (During Ramzan, Muslims don’t commit ‘injustice’ as this is the time of sacrifice for Allah),” she dismissed the role of Islamists in the violence.
Riots in West Bengal on Thursday
Kazipara area in Howrah district in West Bengal turned into a war zone during the Ram Navami rally on Thursday. Several police personnel were deployed at the scene to control the situation after many shops were ransacked and torched, along with several vehicles.
According to local police sources, the rally was supposed to take another route but suddenly it entered the Kazipara area that led to clashes between two groups.
